Here is my student sample and student sample assessment. Please comment and let me know what you think, what I should change, and how I can make them better. Thanks.
Module 3: Activity 6
This module has helped me think about the impact of the Internet on my students' learning in the following ways:
As an elementary teacher, I had trouble envisioning how my students would use the internet more interactively. I have come to appreciate the ability of younger students to work on blogs and wikis. This class has shown me how to manage a project-based unit involving student collaboration on wikis and blogs and how effective these tools can be if introduced properly.
Reflection page 4.01
I will incorporate the Internet into my unit in the following ways:
Students will be involved in a web-based activity in which they are asked to make decisions and reflect on those before moving on to the next step. They will also work in teams and post information and reflections on a wiki. Using the wiki, each student will assume the role of a character in a play and post his/her character's dialogue on the wiki for other team members to comment on. Then the wiki will be used for the students to integrate their characters into a cohesive play.
Reflection page 4.02
How can we help students:
set manageable goals? We need to be aware of student strengths and weaknesses so that we can use them to help set goals. Goals in their strong areas should ask the students to stretch their talents and abilities while goals in their weak areas should be basic and listed in manageable steps. manage timelines and adjust as necessary? Timelines should be given at the beginning of the unit so students are aware of what is expected when. Checklists work well to help both teacher and student see what has been accomplished and what still needs to be worked on. Periodic checks by the teacher and conferencing with the student can help him/her express difficulties encountered and adjust the timeframe as needed. generate and investigate questions about their work? If students are given relevant tasks and the learning is motivating, they will become excited about what they're doing. This excitement usually leads to wanting to do more and learn more and explore more. work productively with others? A rubric given at the beginning of the collaboration, letting each student know what is expected as far as teamwork goes and how it will be assessed, is helpful. Giving students tasks in their strength areas will help them feel that they are able to contribute to the group effort. reflect and plan for improvement? Self-assessing involves letting students decide how they did on a project. This is also a new idea to me, but as I progress through this class, it makes more sense to start this process as early in a student's school career as possible. It can be as simple as a checklist or a set of questions that a student responds yes or no to, or even letting them choose a "face" to represent how he thinks he did. Then a conference with his teacher can let him express why an area was not as good and what could be done differently next time. Older students could reflect on that topic. All of the above is something that the teacher needs to model at the beginning of the students' iniitiation into this whole PBL process. We must be willing to take small steps to ensure that students understand what we are doing and why we are doing it. It would be an easier task if an entire school or at least a whole grade level were all involved.
Reflection Module 4: Activity 5
How can technology be used most effectively to support and assess student learning?
I am guilty of thinking of technology as a reinforcing tool for what I taught. I would teach something and then my students would go to the lab and do an activity that either I or the lab manager had found that would support what I had done. It was basically just more practice without using paper/pencil. There's nothing wrong with those kinds of activities but there is so much more that can be done.
My eyes have now been opened to so many more possibilities. I had never considered having students collaborate on a wiki. A wiki or a blog is like an essay test versus a multiple choice test, which was what my previous activites were. Students know way more than we sometimes realize and have a lot to contribute to a subject than we always have time to listen to. On a wiki, they can write as much as they want about a subject that we may not have had time in class to explore. They can ask questions without fear of ridicule. They can express concerns and ask for help.
A teacher can respond easily and quickly and give some personal attention and even praise that a student might need. The quiet student gets to say as much as the talkative student, who tends to dominate a classroom discussion. This allows us to "peek" inside a student's head and see what they're really thinking and what they really know.
We can post questions and ask for student responses. This way everyone gets to "speak" and everyone HAS to speak, which again doesn't always happen in a classroom situation. All of these things enable us, as teachers, to get a better sense of who knows what and who still needs assistance.
Reflection Module 5: Activity 4
This module has helped me think about student-centered assessment in the following ways...
I need to make sure my assessment actually covers the concepts, skills, and knowledge addressed in my lesson.
I need to revisit all my CFQs to be certain they were covered.
I need to make sure that my questions are not only recall (to cover the content) but that they include higher-order thinking skills so that students can demonstrate learning beyond just the basics. These questions need to make students think and realize that there can be more than one answer to a question and another student may bring up something they never thought of.
I need to make sure that 21st century skills are also addressed. Will students create a product they are proud of? Will they be able to complete activities on time? Can they work with others? Are they open and accepting of others' viewpoints? And so on...
Reflection for pages 6.08-6.09
Share tools and strategies I can use to support student learning in my unit. (differentiation)
SPED and ESL students have many of the same needs. They may need much more support in being able to be contributing members of their teams. Resource personnel can offer invaluable help by viewing the video segments and completing the web activity with the students to help them understand what is taking place. They can also write on graphic organizers what the student dictates to them. They can also aid the student in writing his character's dialogue, ensuring that the important information is included.
These students may have time management problems, so they can help control the speed of the activities, slowing down when necessary and speeding up as the case may be. They can assist the students in keeping track of their materials and use the checklist to keep the students on track. Resource personnel may also be used to help assess the student by asking questions and making sure the students are understanding the concepts. They can then convey this information to the classroom teacher.
Other students within the class may be buddies to these students and perform some of the tasks that the teacher or resource personnel may not be able to do. Sometimes an ESL student who is further along in his langauge skills maybe asked to assist a friend who has trouble understanding.
On the other end of the spectrum, you have the students who complete everything quickly and well and need to be challenged. In my unit, I have included some activities to extend their knowledge of the content. They have 2 websites they can visit that will give additional information. After these students have researched the use of quilts and examined the meanings of their symbols to escaped slaves, they can create a presentation of their choice to share this information with their classmates. The second site has maps showing the actual routes taken by escaped slaves. This can also be researched and presented in a manner of their choice.
Reflection Module 6: Activity 5
This module has helped me think about self-directed learners and the role of differentiation in the following ways:
Students have to be gradually introduced to this approach to learning. They are used to being receivers of learning and this approach makes them active learners. This may be foreign to them and you may have the "sleepy onlookers" who are resistant. Using resources to support student learning is a way to ease them into the process. I have created a play template to guide the students in completing their final products. This will give examples of what they need to include when creating their play.
This will give the SPED and ESL students a framework to support them while at the same time, the gifted can spend more time writing stage directions, planning movements, and gathering costumes and props. It is, hopefully, designed to fill the needs of all the varied types of learners.
Jackie and Odile (and anyone else who'd like to comment),
Here is my PowerPoint presentation for you to critique. I've prettied it up and inserted a link to one of my assessments (both with help!) so if you've already looked at it, you might want to look at it again. I would appreciate any input and responses to my feedback requests.
Thanks.
These are new documents and show the assessment tools I will be using for my unit. What do you think? Please be honest. Thanks.
Reflection Module 2
This module has helped me think about using standards, CFQs or formative assessment in the following ways:
Standards have become a way of life in classrooms today so I am comfortable with those. For me, CGQs are a newer idea. I always worked with content-based questions but the essential and unit questions are more open-ended and thought-provoking. They allow for all students to express their viewpoints with no fear of being wrong. They also allow for more out-of-the-box thinking and ask students to expand their knowledge and go beyond what the standards require.
Formative assessments are a way to check for understanding as students progress through the unit. They allow the teacher to make sure the student is on track and also to help ensure early on that if something has not been learned or understood, it can be corrected before going any further. A summative assessment is a great way for students to actually pull all their learning together and showcase it in a project.
Response to 3.04
My unit deals with slavery and the Underground Railroad. How could you incorporate the Internet into your classroom to further enhance student learning in regards to research, communication, and collaboration?
Research-using videostreaming to research a topic for which they have no frame of reference -interactive web activity that allows them to think critically and make decisions
Communication-sharing ideas and research with each other on a wiki, enabling them to keep shared notes
Collaboration-sharing ideas and plot outlines, adding to each other’s thoughts, dialog, giving feedback and suggestions
Response to 4.04
I looked at the Student Sample for the lesson on Flat Stanley. The students created a newsletter in which they shared letters and pictures they received from sending Flat Stanley around the world. 1.What 21st century skills does the student sample demonstrate?
Communication and collaboration-articulating thoughts clearly through writing
ICT-using digital technology, communication tools, communicating information
Social and Cross-Cultural Skills-bridging cultural differences 2.How does the student sample help to answer the Curriculum-Framing Questions?
The Flat Stanley Post includes articles from kids around the world.They write about the experiences that Flat Stanley had in their communities, including his activities, the foods he “eats,” what the land and weather is like in their communities, and what life is like in general for them.This enables them to answer all the unit and content questions and then to be able to discuss the essential question, coming to the conclusion that we are different in some ways and alike in many. 3.How does the chosen technology toll enable students to enhance their learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity?
Students were able to use the Internet effectively to communicate and research.They were able to use technology skills to create a newsletter highlighting their findings and sharing those findings with others.They practiced journal writing, developed word processing skills and information technology skills, including e-mail, scanning, desktop publishing, printing, and digital photography.
Module 3: Activity 6
This module has helped me think about the impact of the Internet on my students' learning in the following ways:
As an elementary teacher, I had trouble envisioning how my students would use the internet more interactively. I have come to appreciate the ability of younger students to work on blogs and wikis. This class has shown me how to manage a project-based unit involving student collaboration on wikis and blogs and how effective these tools can be if introduced properly.
Reflection page 4.01
I will incorporate the Internet into my unit in the following ways:
Students will be involved in a web-based activity in which they are asked to make decisions and reflect on those before moving on to the next step. They will also work in teams and post information and reflections on a wiki. Using the wiki, each student will assume the role of a character in a play and post his/her character's dialogue on the wiki for other team members to comment on. Then the wiki will be used for the students to integrate their characters into a cohesive play.
Reflection page 4.02
How can we help students:
set manageable goals? We need to be aware of student strengths and weaknesses so that we can use them to help set goals. Goals in their strong areas should ask the students to stretch their talents and abilities while goals in their weak areas should be basic and listed in manageable steps.
manage timelines and adjust as necessary? Timelines should be given at the beginning of the unit so students are aware of what is expected when. Checklists work well to help both teacher and student see what has been accomplished and what still needs to be worked on. Periodic checks by the teacher and conferencing with the student can help him/her express difficulties encountered and adjust the timeframe as needed.
generate and investigate questions about their work? If students are given relevant tasks and the learning is motivating, they will become excited about what they're doing. This excitement usually leads to wanting to do more and learn more and explore more.
work productively with others? A rubric given at the beginning of the collaboration, letting each student know what is expected as far as teamwork goes and how it will be assessed, is helpful. Giving students tasks in their strength areas will help them feel that they are able to contribute to the group effort.
reflect and plan for improvement? Self-assessing involves letting students decide how they did on a project. This is also a new idea to me, but as I progress through this class, it makes more sense to start this process as early in a student's school career as possible. It can be as simple as a checklist or a set of questions that a student responds yes or no to, or even letting them choose a "face" to represent how he thinks he did. Then a conference with his teacher can let him express why an area was not as good and what could be done differently next time. Older students could reflect on that topic.
All of the above is something that the teacher needs to model at the beginning of the students' iniitiation into this whole PBL process. We must be willing to take small steps to ensure that students understand what we are doing and why we are doing it. It would be an easier task if an entire school or at least a whole grade level were all involved.
Reflection Module 4: Activity 5
How can technology be used most effectively to support and assess student learning?
I am guilty of thinking of technology as a reinforcing tool for what I taught. I would teach something and then my students would go to the lab and do an activity that either I or the lab manager had found that would support what I had done. It was basically just more practice without using paper/pencil. There's nothing wrong with those kinds of activities but there is so much more that can be done.
My eyes have now been opened to so many more possibilities. I had never considered having students collaborate on a wiki. A wiki or a blog is like an essay test versus a multiple choice test, which was what my previous activites were. Students know way more than we sometimes realize and have a lot to contribute to a subject than we always have time to listen to. On a wiki, they can write as much as they want about a subject that we may not have had time in class to explore. They can ask questions without fear of ridicule. They can express concerns and ask for help.
A teacher can respond easily and quickly and give some personal attention and even praise that a student might need. The quiet student gets to say as much as the talkative student, who tends to dominate a classroom discussion. This allows us to "peek" inside a student's head and see what they're really thinking and what they really know.
We can post questions and ask for student responses. This way everyone gets to "speak" and everyone HAS to speak, which again doesn't always happen in a classroom situation. All of these things enable us, as teachers, to get a better sense of who knows what and who still needs assistance.
Reflection Module 5: Activity 4
This module has helped me think about student-centered assessment in the following ways...
I need to make sure my assessment actually covers the concepts, skills, and knowledge addressed in my lesson.
I need to revisit all my CFQs to be certain they were covered.
I need to make sure that my questions are not only recall (to cover the content) but that they include higher-order thinking skills so that students can demonstrate learning beyond just the basics. These questions need to make students think and realize that there can be more than one answer to a question and another student may bring up something they never thought of.
I need to make sure that 21st century skills are also addressed. Will students create a product they are proud of? Will they be able to complete activities on time? Can they work with others? Are they open and accepting of others' viewpoints? And so on...
Reflection for pages 6.08-6.09
Share tools and strategies I can use to support student learning in my unit. (differentiation)
SPED and ESL students have many of the same needs. They may need much more support in being able to be contributing members of their teams. Resource personnel can offer invaluable help by viewing the video segments and completing the web activity with the students to help them understand what is taking place. They can also write on graphic organizers what the student dictates to them. They can also aid the student in writing his character's dialogue, ensuring that the important information is included.
These students may have time management problems, so they can help control the speed of the activities, slowing down when necessary and speeding up as the case may be. They can assist the students in keeping track of their materials and use the checklist to keep the students on track. Resource personnel may also be used to help assess the student by asking questions and making sure the students are understanding the concepts. They can then convey this information to the classroom teacher.
Other students within the class may be buddies to these students and perform some of the tasks that the teacher or resource personnel may not be able to do. Sometimes an ESL student who is further along in his langauge skills maybe asked to assist a friend who has trouble understanding.
On the other end of the spectrum, you have the students who complete everything quickly and well and need to be challenged. In my unit, I have included some activities to extend their knowledge of the content. They have 2 websites they can visit that will give additional information. After these students have researched the use of quilts and examined the meanings of their symbols to escaped slaves, they can create a presentation of their choice to share this information with their classmates. The second site has maps showing the actual routes taken by escaped slaves. This can also be researched and presented in a manner of their choice.
Reflection Module 6: Activity 5
This module has helped me think about self-directed learners and the role of differentiation in the following ways:
Students have to be gradually introduced to this approach to learning. They are used to being receivers of learning and this approach makes them active learners. This may be foreign to them and you may have the "sleepy onlookers" who are resistant. Using resources to support student learning is a way to ease them into the process. I have created a play template to guide the students in completing their final products. This will give examples of what they need to include when creating their play.
This will give the SPED and ESL students a framework to support them while at the same time, the gifted can spend more time writing stage directions, planning movements, and gathering costumes and props. It is, hopefully, designed to fill the needs of all the varied types of learners.
All documents have been changed to 2003.
Jackie and Odile (and anyone else who'd like to comment),
Here is my PowerPoint presentation for you to critique. I've prettied it up and inserted a link to one of my assessments (both with help!) so if you've already looked at it, you might want to look at it again. I would appreciate any input and responses to my feedback requests.
Thanks.
These are new documents and show the assessment tools I will be using for my unit. What do you think? Please be honest. Thanks.
Reflection Module 2
This module has helped me think about using standards, CFQs or formative assessment in the following ways:
Standards have become a way of life in classrooms today so I am comfortable with those. For me, CGQs are a newer idea. I always worked with content-based questions but the essential and unit questions are more open-ended and thought-provoking. They allow for all students to express their viewpoints with no fear of being wrong. They also allow for more out-of-the-box thinking and ask students to expand their knowledge and go beyond what the standards require.
Formative assessments are a way to check for understanding as students progress through the unit. They allow the teacher to make sure the student is on track and also to help ensure early on that if something has not been learned or understood, it can be corrected before going any further. A summative assessment is a great way for students to actually pull all their learning together and showcase it in a project.
Response to 3.04
My unit deals with slavery and the Underground Railroad.
How could you incorporate the Internet into your classroom to further enhance student learning in regards to research, communication, and collaboration?
Research-using videostreaming to research a topic for which they have no frame of reference
-interactive web activity that allows them to think critically and make decisions
Communication-sharing ideas and research with each other on a wiki, enabling them to keep shared notes
Collaboration-sharing ideas and plot outlines, adding to each other’s thoughts, dialog, giving feedback and suggestions
Response to 4.04
I looked at the Student Sample for the lesson on Flat Stanley. The students created a newsletter in which they shared letters and pictures they received from sending Flat Stanley around the world.
1. What 21st century skills does the student sample demonstrate?
Communication and collaboration-articulating thoughts clearly through writing
ICT-using digital technology, communication tools, communicating information
Social and Cross-Cultural Skills-bridging cultural differences
2. How does the student sample help to answer the Curriculum-Framing Questions?
The Flat Stanley Post includes articles from kids around the world. They write about the experiences that Flat Stanley had in their communities, including his activities, the foods he “eats,” what the land and weather is like in their communities, and what life is like in general for them. This enables them to answer all the unit and content questions and then to be able to discuss the essential question, coming to the conclusion that we are different in some ways and alike in many.
3. How does the chosen technology toll enable students to enhance their learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity?
Students were able to use the Internet effectively to communicate and research. They were able to use technology skills to create a newsletter highlighting their findings and sharing those findings with others. They practiced journal writing, developed word processing skills and information technology skills, including e-mail, scanning, desktop publishing, printing, and digital photography.